Korea clinch knockout berth at U-20 World Cup

South Korea have clinched a spot in the knockout stage at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina even before playing their final group stage match. Japan's 2-1 loss to Israel in Group C in Mendoza, western Argentina, on Saturday (local time) ensured that South Korea will grab a ticket to the round of 16 from Group F regardless of their result against Gambia on Sunday. There are six groups of four nations in this tournament. The top two teams from each group, plus four best third-place teams

SoccerMay 28, 2023

S. Korea play 10-man Honduras to draw at U-20 World Cup, knockout fate up in air

South Korea battled for a 2-2 draw against Honduras at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina, as their knockout fate remains up in the air with one group match to go. South Korea netted two unanswered goals in the second half for the hard-fought draw in Group F at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza, western Argentina, on Thursday. South Korea, who opened the tournament with a 2-1 win over France on Monday, sit in second place in the group with four points, two behind Gambia, who clinched a kn

SoccerMay 26, 2023

Padres' Kim Ha-seong hits 5th homer of season, scores 100th career run

Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres has homered for the fifth time this season, reaching a career milestone in the process. Kim hit a solo home run to lead off the top of the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington on Wednesday. Kim's blast to the right-center field, off Nationals starter Trevor Williams, cut the Padres' deficit to 5-3. Kim drilled a 1-1 fastball from Williams for his first home run off a fastball this season. It was Kim's fi

BaseballMay 25, 2023

Veteran pitcher earns 1st win in 5 years in gutsy outing

Veteran pitcher Jang Won-jun needed 15 days to go from career win No. 128 to No. 129 in 2018. It then took the Doosan Bears left-hander five years to get to his 130th victory in the Korea Baseball Organization. That long-awaited win came Tuesday night in a "turn-back-the-clock" performance against the Samsung Lions at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. The 37-year-old allowed four runs on seven hits in five innings, but his Bears teammates gave him plenty of run support in a 7-5 victory

BaseballMay 24, 2023

Ko Jin-young back as No. 1 in women's golf rankings

On the strength of her recent LPGA victory, South Korean star Ko Jin-young has returned to the top of the women's golf rankings. Ko climbed a spot to No. 1 in the latest rankings announced Monday, reclaiming the place she had last occupied on Oct. 24, 2022. Ko fell to as low as No. 5 in February this year but has since won twice on the LPGA Tour to claw her way back to the top spot. The women's world rankings evaluate players' performance over a rolling two-year period weighted in

GolfMay 23, 2023

S. Korea defeat France to open FIFA U-20 World Cup

South Korea upset France 2-1 to kick off their FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina, a winning start to the tournament that few had envisioned. Captain Lee Seung-won had a goal and an assist in the narrow victory in Group F action at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza, western Argentina, on Monday. South Korea are eyeing their third consecutive trip to the knockout stage, after reaching the round of 16 in 2017 and finishing runners-up to Ukraine in 2019. The 2021 tournament was canceled due to t

SoccerMay 23, 2023

Ulsan stretch win streak to 6, lead K League by 13 points

By squeezing past last-place Suwon Samsung Bluewings on Sunday, Ulsan Hyundai FC extended their win streak to six matches, and their lead at the top of the K League 1 tables to 13 points. Martin Adam's 85th-minute goal ended up being the difference in Ulsan's 3-2 win at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul. Ulsan had recorded only two draws and three losses in their five previous visits to Suwon World Cup Stadium. Ulsan, going for their second straight K Leagu

SoccerMay 22, 2023

Teams tied at top of KBO standings set for midweek clash

Through Sunday's action in South Korean baseball, the SSG Landers and the LG Twins shared first place with identical records. Something will have to give this week, when the two best teams in the Korea Baseball Organization square off for three games starting Tuesday. The Landers and the Twins are both at 26-14-1 (wins-losses-ties), two games ahead of the Lotte Giants in a tie for first place. The Landers will host the Twins for a three-game series at home, Incheon SSG Landers Field, some 3

BaseballMay 22, 2023

Lone S. Korean left at PGA Championship struggles in 3rd round

Lee Kyoung-hoon, the only South Korean player remaining at the PGA Championship, has taken a few steps back with a bumpy third round at the season's second major tournament. Lee posted a round of five-over 75 on the East Course at Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York, on Saturday, dropping to six-over for the tournament. Lee fell from a tie for 19th to a tie for 42nd place. After an opening par, Lee picked up four bogeys over his next five holes, with a birdie on the par-5 fourth

GolfMay 21, 2023

One S. Korean player makes cut at PGA Championship

Only one out of five South Koreans in action has made the cut at the PGA Championship, the second major tournament of the men's golf season. Lee Kyoung-hoon, a two-time PGA Tour winner, will get to play on the weekend after shooting a two-under 68 to reach one-over for the tournament on the East Course at Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York, on Friday (local time). Lee made three birdies against one bogey to post an under-par score after starting his championship with a 73 on Thurs

GolfMay 20, 2023

Napoli-Mallorca exhibition in S. Korea up in air due to scheduling conflict

A summer exhibition series between two European football clubs featuring South Korean stars in their native country remained up in the air Friday, due to a scheduling conflict with the domestic league. Local promoters Untouchable Sports Group (USG) and Stadium X are planning a two-match series between the Italian champions Napoli, led by South Korean defender Kim Min-jae, and the Spanish side RCD Mallorca, featuring popular South Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in. They announced earlier this month t

SoccerMay 19, 2023

Detained soccer player 'denies charges, worried about family': agent

Soccer player Son Jun-ho, who has been detained by Chinese authorities on suspicion of bribery, denies the accusations against him, media here reported Friday, quoting the South Korean midfielder’s agent. Son, 31-year-old midfielder playing for Chinese Super League’s Shandong Taishan, was taken into custody by public security authorities in China’s northeast Liaoning province last Friday on suspicion of accepting bribes. The details of the charges have not been unveiled as of n

SoccerMay 19, 2023

S. Koreans well off pace after opening round at PGA Championship

South Korean golfers found themselves well out of contention after the opening round of the PGA Championship, the second major tournament of the season, with no one posting an under-par score. When the play was suspended due to darkness at the East Course of Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York, on Thursday, four of five South Koreans in the field were tied at three-over, with only three having managed to finish their 18 holes. Lee Kyoung-hoon finished his round at three-over 73. Lee rec

GolfMay 19, 2023

In-form S. Koreans chasing maiden major at PGA Championship

Two South Korean golfers fresh off strong performances will be in pursuit of their maiden major title this week in the state of New York. Im Sung-jae and Kim Si-woo will be among five South Koreans in action at the PGA Championship, which tees off at the East Course of Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York, on Thursday. A total of 156 players will go after the coveted Wanamaker Trophy. This will be the second major tournament of the PGA Tour season, following the Masters in April. Im won

GolfMay 17, 2023

KBO club's new manager trying to lay groundwork for long-term success

INCHEON -- Taking over a franchise trying to get out of the abyss in South Korean baseball, new Hanwha Eagles manager Choi Won-ho said Friday he will look to lay the foundation for success for the longer term, if not this year. In an abrupt announcement that caught many in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) by surprise Thursday night, Choi was named successor to Carlos Subero, who was sacked 31 games into the final season of his three-year contract. Choi, who had been the Eagles' minor

BaseballMay 12, 2023

By making managerial change, Hanwha Eagles shift focus from process to results

In the end, the Hanwha Eagles ran out of patience. After finishing in last place in the Korea Baseball Organization in three straight seasons, including the past two campaigns under Venezuelan manager Carlos Subero, the Eagles decided it was time to stop rebuilding and start winning. The front office made some big free agent acquisitions in the offseason, including star outfielder Chae Eun-seong, but it felt Subero, with his constant lineup tinkering, wasn't quite following the organization

BaseballMay 12, 2023

Slugging catcher hoping to live up to big contract

When veteran catcher Park Dong-won signed with the LG Twins as a free agent last November, he kept thinking about one particular thing. "I didn't want to hear Twins fans say, 'We shouldn't have signed this guy,'" Park said Tuesday, after helping the Twins rally for a 5-4 victory over the Kiwoom Heroes with a game-tying, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. With the kind of season Park has put together so far, he wo

BaseballMay 10, 2023

K League opposed to holding Napoli-Mallorca exhibition on matchday

The South Korean professional football league said Wednesday it is opposed to holding a summer exhibition between the Italian champions Napoli and Spanish side RCD Mallorca on the same June matchday for its own clubs. Organizers for the two-match series between Napoli, featuring South Korean defender Kim Min-jae, and Mallorca, with South Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in in the fold, had said Tuesday that they were looking to play the first game on June 8 in Seoul and the second one on June 10 in Go

SoccerMay 10, 2023

Little-used outfielder goes from goat to hero in dramatic win

With the winning run standing 90 feet away in the bottom of the 10th inning, LG Twins outfielder Shin Min-jae walked up to the plate for only the fourth time this season Tuesday night. The only thing on the mind of the little-used backup was to put his bat on the ball. And he did exactly that with his infield single to second base, which cashed in the decisive run in the Twins' 5-4 victory over the Kiwoom Heroes. It was the Twins' fourth consecutive win in the Korea Baseball Organizati

BaseballMay 9, 2023

Catcher-turned-pitcher wins KBO's top player award for April

Na Gyun-an, a former catcher now leading the starting rotation for the biggest early surprise in South Korean baseball, has been voted the league's top player for April. The Korea Baseball Organization announced Tuesday that Na, the right-handed ace for the Lotte Giants, is the Player of the Month for April. The 25-year-old went 4-0 with a 1.34 ERA in five starts in April. He tied for the league lead in wins and ranked fourth in ERA last month, as the Giants, to the surprise of many, wrappe

BaseballMay 9, 2023